Ian Casselberry
Mets-Braves doubleheader: Braves join Mets in postseason with Game 2 win, Diamondbacks out
It's a must-win for Atlanta in Game 2 or else the Diamondbacks get into the playoffs
The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves are both in the MLB playoffs. The Mets punched their ticket with a wild 8-7 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader.
The Braves followed up with a 3-0 win in Game 2 to secure their place in the postseason. That means that the reigning NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks are out of the playoffs. The Diamondbacks needed one of the Braves or Mets to get swept on Sunday to leapfrog them for baseball’s final postseason berth.
The two games played Monday were postponed last week because of Hurricane Helene, adding some chaos to the MLB playoff picture ahead of the start of the wild-card series on Tuesday.
The Braves secured the No. 5 seed with Monday’s win and will travel to play the No. 4 seed San Diego Padres in the wild-card round. The No. 6 seed Mets will travel to face the No. 3 seed Milwaukee Brewers.
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Neither of last year's World Series teams qualified for the postseason
The Braves' win eliminating the Diamondbacks from the National League wild-card playoff picture has an intriguing footnote.
For the first time since 2007, neither team from the previous year's World Series will be in the postseason.
For the first time since the 2007 season, neither team who played in the previous years’ World Series qualified for the playoffs pic.twitter.com/jKGJRsUhrJ
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 30, 2024
- Ian Casselberry
New clubhouse celebration headgear
Michael Harris II may have reinvented clubhouse celebration gear years after the advent of swim and ski goggles to prevent champagne from stinging the eyes. How about a football helmet?
Michael Harris II lmao pic.twitter.com/FBTdcUQKiU
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) September 30, 2024
... Not sure that kept the eyes shielded.
- Ian Casselberry
Braves celebrate their postseason bid
How often do both clubhouses in a MLB ballpark break out the champagne at the same time? Here pop the Braves.
#Braves popping some bottles. pic.twitter.com/rLcsuf6C4C
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) September 30, 2024
- Ian Casselberry
Carlos Mendoza clubhouse celebration speech
The Mets broke out the champagne after both games of their doubleheader were completed on Monday. Presumably, it would've been difficult to celebrate like that after Game 1, then go play another game 45 minutes later.
"Before the year started, nobody thought we would be in this position. Everyone had us out."
Rookie manager, Carlos Mendoza, shares some words with his team after their #postseason clinch 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/RADyUZskR3— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2024
- Ian Casselberry
Braves win 3-0, return to the postseason for 7th straight year
Raisel Iglesias closes out a 3–0 win for the Braves, who clinch an NL wild-card playoff bid with the victory and will be the No. 5 seed in the postseason bracket.
Jose Iglesias led off with a single, but was erased on a double-play grounder from Brandon Nimmo. Pete Alonso grounded out to shortstop to end the game.
The @Braves take the final NL Wild Card spot and are headed to the #postseason! #CLINCHED pic.twitter.com/hVOl3jIrtr
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2024
The Mets will take the No. 6 seed. And the Diamondbacks are squeezed out of the postseason picture with Atlanta's win.
- Ian Casselberry
Mets scoreless through 8 innings
Joe Jiménez dispatches the Mets with 11 pitches in the 8th inning, retiring Luis Torrens, Eddy Alvarez and Luisangel Acuña.
Two hits through 8 innings for the Mets. It's not looking good for the Arizona Diamondbacks' postseason chances.
- Ian Casselberry
Braves take 3-0 lead in the 7th
Huascar Brazoban takes over to pitch the 7th inning.
After a leadoff walk to Sean Murphy, Brazoban gets Orlando Arcia and Michael Harris II out. But Ozzie Albies reaches on a throwing error by Brazoban, fielding the ball near third base.
Marcell Ozuna follows with a single that scores Murphy and Albies.
Big Bear!#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/2pQyNaIdwU
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 30, 2024
Matt Olson then singles, but is thrown out at second trying to stretch out a double and ends the inning.
Braves 3, Mets 0
- Ian Casselberry
Mets still scoreless
Reynaldo Lopez pitches the 7th inning for the Braves and retires all three hitters with two strikeouts.
Mets have 2 hits and no runs through 7 innings.
- Ian Casselberry
6 innings, 1 run, 2 hits for Joey Lucchesi
After 111 pitches, Joey Lucchesi appears to be done based on the hugs in the Mets' dugout.
Joey Lucchesi gets to celebrate with the other Mets' starters 🙌 pic.twitter.com/5vCRuGrH1M
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 30, 2024
Remember, he only got the starting nod after the Mets won Game 1 of this doubleheader. After clinching an NL wild-card playoff bid, New York pushed Luis Severino to the postseason opener.
- Ian Casselberry
Braves threaten, but do not score in 6th
Jorge Soler got his second double of the game off Joey Lucchesi. Eli White came in to pinch-run for Soler and moved to third on a sacrifice fly by RamĂłn Laureano. But Lucchesi escapes by getting Gio Urshela to fly out to shallow left.
Lucchesi has allowed one run and two hits in six innings, walking four with four strikeouts.
Braves 1, Mets 0 after 6 innings.
- Ian Casselberry
Dylan Lee finishes top of the 6th for Braves
Dylan Lee allowed a single to Brandon Nimmo, but gets Pete Alonso to ground out to third base on his first pitch.
- Ian Casselberry
Pitching change for the Braves
After putting Eddy Alvarez by hitting him with a pitch, Daysbel Hernandez gets Luisangel Acuña and Jose Iglesias out. But Dylan Lee will now take over for Atlanta to pitch to Brandon Nimmo, who hit a 2-run homer in Game 1.
- Ian Casselberry
5th inning: Braves 1, Mets 0
Joey Lucchesi pitches a 1-2-3 fifth inning for the Mets, getting all three hitters he faced to ground out.
That might be it for the left-hander after 93 pitches. He allowed one run and two hits, also throwing four walks with four strikeouts.
Lucchesi was called up from Triple-A Syracuse for this start. After winning Game 1 of this doubleheader and clinching a postseason spot, the Mets held Luis Severino back to pitch their NL wild-card opener.
- Ian Casselberry
Braves' Daysbel Hernandez escapes with no runs allowed
Daysbel Hernandez came on in relief of Grant Holmes, who put the first two batters of the 5th inning on base. Hernandez then struck out Tyrone Taylor and Harrison Bader before getting Luis Torrens to ground out. No runs allowed after the Mets had two on with no outs.
Braves 1, Mets 0 in the bottom of the 5th.
- Ian Casselberry
Pete Alonso gets Mets first hit
Grant Holmes finally allows his first hit of the game, giving up a single to Pete Alonso.
After a walk to Starling Marte, Holmes is out. Daysbel Hernandez is now in to pitch for Atlanta.
Four innings for Holmes with no runs, one hit allowed and seven strikeouts.
- Ian Casselberry
Repeat: Grant Holmes is humming
Another 1-2-3 inning for Atlanta's Grant Holmes, who has not allowed a hit in 4 innings.
He has 7 strikeouts on 46 p
- Ian Casselberry
Braves go down 1-2-3 in the 3rd
Joey Lucchesi retired all three Atlanta hitters he faced in the 3rd inning with two strikeouts.
Joey Lucchesi, Elevated 90mph Cutter. ✂️ pic.twitter.com/W3x27Tv1Ra
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 30, 2024
Braves 1, Mets 0
- Ian Casselberry
Grant Holmes keeps humming
Grant Holmes has pitched 3 innings without allowing a hit or run. He has six strikeouts on 34 pitches.
Grant Holmes, 5th and 6th Ks.
Thru 3. pic.twitter.com/LXOB8uL1Rq— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 30, 2024
- Ian Casselberry
Mets escape 2nd inning only allowing one run
The Braves looked like they might put together a big inning. After taking a 1-0 lead on a Gio Urshela, Joey Lucchesi walked Sean Murphy.
But with two runners on and one out, Lucchesi gets Orlando Arcia to pop out and Michael Harris II to ground out and limit the damage.
- Ian Casselberry
Braves take 1-0 lead
Jorge Soler led off the 2nd inning with a double. Two batters later, Gio Urshela drove him in with a single to left field.
Braves 1, Mets 0
- Ian Casselberry
The definition of "emergency start"
Grant Holmes practically had no time to think about starting a must-win Game 2 for the Braves. He was told a half-hour before game time that he was getting the start.
Grant Holmes was told he was starting this do-or-die game about 30 minutes ago
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 30, 2024
- Ian Casselberry
More details on Chris Sale
Via MLB.com's Mark Bowman:
Sale first felt the back discomfort during the second inning of his start in Cincinnati. That’s when his velo dropped below 90 mph. He kept thinking he could pitch until the discomfort worsened last night.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 30, 2024
The start versus the Reds was on Sept. 19. Sale pitched five innings, allowing two runs and five hits.
- Ian Casselberry
Scoreless 2nd inning for Grant Holmes
Grant Holmes got through the 2nd inning in 10 pitches for another hitless, scoreless frame. He may not be Chris Sale, but his first two innings have been very good.
- Ian Casselberry
1st inning: Mets 0, Braves 0
Matt Olson strikes out looking with Marcell Ozuna on first base.
Joey Lucchesi pitches a scoreless, hitless 1st inning for the Mets.
- Ian Casselberry
Marcell Ozuna walks on 7 pitches
The Braves may have something cooking in the 1st with Marcell Ozuna drawing a walk and bringing Matt Olson to the plate with two outs.
- Ian Casselberry
1st inning goes 1-2-3 for Atlanta
Good start for Grant Holmes, retiring the first three Mets batters. He struck out Luisangel Acuna and Brandon Nimmo.
Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies and Marcell Ozuna coming up for the Braves to face Joey Lucchesi.
Albies went 2-for-3 with a home run and 5 RBI in Game 1.
- Ian Casselberry
How we got here
If you're joining us for Game 2 of this doubleheader between the Mets and Braves, New York won a thrilling Game 1, 8–7.
Atlanta took a 7–6 into the 9th inning, but Francisco Lindor's 2-run homer put the Mets back on top to stay.
FRANCISCO LINDOR FOR THE LEAD IN THE 9TH! pic.twitter.com/qIzRTi6GeT
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2024
- Ian Casselberry
Diamondbacks and their fans are Mets fans this evening
A Mets win in Game 2 will eliminate the Braves and put the Diamondbacks in as the NL's No. 6 seed in the postseason.
#LGM pic.twitter.com/H4j2RrkgTd
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 30, 2024
- Ian Casselberry
Grant Holmes starts for Braves in Game 2, replacing Chris Sale
Rookie Grant Holmes gets the starting nod in a must-win Game 2 for the Braves. Going into Monday, he notched a 3.78 ERA in 25 appearances (six starts) with 63 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings.
The Braves have scratched Chris Sale with back spasms.
Grant Holmes will start with their season on the line.— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 30, 2024
Holmes pitched 1 2/3 innings on Sunday, throwing 21 pitches, so he's likely just an opener for Atlanta in what will be a bullpen game.
- Ian Casselberry
Chris Sale wins National League pitching Triple Crown after being scratched from Game 2
With the Braves' season on the line, Chris Sale was been scratched for Game 2.
On the bright side, Sale will win the National League pitching Triple Crown with a 2.38 ERA, 18 wins and 225 strikeouts for the season. He's the first NL pitcher to do so since 2011, when Clayton Kershaw led the league in the three major categories.
Chris Sale has been scratched from this start with back spasms.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) September 30, 2024
With Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal winning the AL Triple Crown, it's also the first time since 2011 that pitchers in both leagues have won the Triple Crown in the same season.
- Liz Roscher
It's over! Mets win 8-7 and are headed to the postseason!
It was an improbable, back-and-forth game, but the Mets managed to come out on top after being down 3-0 to start the 8th inning.
This game involved two separate comebacks and two separate vital home runs. Brandon Nimmo clubbed a two-run homer in the 8th, and Francisco Lindor hit a two-run homer in the 9th to recapture the lead for the Mets.
Read the full story here.
- Liz Roscher
Diaz trying to seal postseason berth for Mets
The Mets are three outs away from clinching just the 11th postseason berth in Mets history.
Despite his troubles in the 8th, Diaz is out for the 9th. And after one pitch, he has one out as Matt Olson pops up.
- Liz Roscher
You cannot keep the Mets down! Lindo smashes 2-run homer!
Francisco Lindor may have singlehandedly saved the Mets from trying in Game 2. He smashes a towering two-run homer (his 33rd of the year) to put the Mets ahead 8-7. Is this game for real?
FRANCISCO LINDOR FOR THE LEAD IN THE 9TH! pic.twitter.com/qIzRTi6GeT
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2024
- Liz Roscher
Braves take the lead!
Diaz almost walked the second straight batter on four pitches, but on 3-0, Ozzie Albies doubled and cleared the loaded bases. The Braves retake the lead 7-6!
OZZIE. ALBIES.
The @Braves retake the lead! pic.twitter.com/9EPIirVDiX— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2024
- Liz Roscher
Now Diaz loads the bases...
Diaz may be melting down. After failing to cover first base, he walks the next batter on four pitches.
- Liz Roscher
Edwin Diaz allows a run after not covering first base
Diaz makes an untimely and possibly tragic mistake, not covering first base on a speedy grounder that could have been an out. A run scores, but the Mets still lead 6-4. The difference? Nimmo's two-run jack. Without that, the Mets are in even more trouble than they are now.
- Liz Roscher
Will the Braves get any runs back?
Oh boy. After Mets reliever Phil Maton allowed two of the first three hitters to reach, the Mets are calling on their closer, Edwin Diaz, to get five outs on his second straight day of work. Oh, and he threw 30 pitches on Sunday in a 5-0 win.
Let's see how this works out.
- Liz Roscher
Brandon Nimmo clubs two-run homer, crushes Braves spirits
The Mets were 0-47 when trailing by three-plus runs in the 8th inning. Until today. Until Brandon Nimmo jacked this two-run homer against the Braves.
BRANDON NIMMO!!
It's a 6-run 8th for the @Mets!! pic.twitter.com/QR1BxTLfAz— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2024
- Liz Roscher
Mets tie it 3-3 on Jose Iglesias single!
OMG!!
The @Mets have erased a three-run deficit in the 8th! pic.twitter.com/QcHSvai1gB— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2024
- Liz Roscher
Mets making comeback, now 3-2 in the 8th
The Mets are one run away from tying up the game in the eighth inning. Starling Marte singled, and then Francisco Lindor followed that with a single to score Francisco Alvarez. Braves still lead 3-2, but there are no outs in the eighth inning.
Francisco Lindor delivers a HUGE hit to bring the Mets within one. pic.twitter.com/k8Wgp6U7vd
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2024
- Liz Roscher
The Mets are aliiiiiiive!
The Mets have a heartbeat in the 8th! Jimenez allowed a double up the third base line on his first pitch, scoring Taylor to make it 3-1.
On the 11th pitch of the at-bat, Tyrone Taylor hits a leadoff double into the gap! pic.twitter.com/Qa6rQkjhPD
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 30, 2024
- Liz Roscher
Mets get lead-off double from Tyrone Taylor
The decision to keep Schwellenbach in to start the 8th inning backfired on manager Brian Snitker immediately. Schwellenbach battled Tyrone Taylor in an 11-pitch at-bat that resulted in the Mets' first extra-base hit of the day.
Despite the XBH to Taylor, Schwellenbach was outstanding. He's been replaced by righty reliever Joe Jimenez.
- Liz Roscher
Schwellenbach pitches into 8th, will it come back to bite them?
The Braves must be feeling confident because they're letting Schwellenbach pitch into the 8th inning for the first time. That's quite a risk to take at an important time, but you don't win games by being careful. Will it pay off
- Liz Roscher
It's getting late for the Mets...
Adam Ottavino came in to pitch a clean seventh inning for the Mets, but it's getting late. They've got two more chances to get at least three runs on the board before the second game becomes a must-win.
- Liz Roscher
The Mets are making Grimace sad
— Jordan (@SLCLunk) September 30, 2024
- Liz Roscher
Spencer Schwellenbach keeps mowing down Mets
Schwellenbach has had an outstanding start for the Braves. He's utterly stumped the Mets over seven spotless innings.
- Liz Roscher
Mets take Megill out, replace him with Huascar Brazoban
After throwing 100 pitches, one short of his season high, the Mets lifted Megill in the bottom of the 6th and replace him with reliever Huascar Brazoban.
- Liz Roscher
Braves increase their lead to 3-0 on solo home run from Ramon Laureano
RamĂłn Laureano makes it 3-0 @Braves in the 6th! pic.twitter.com/Dd1y8cqRrF
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2024
- Liz Roscher
Mets turned away, Braves still leading 2-0
The Mets could not get either Alonso or Martinez home before the end of the fifth. All they can do is swallow another wasted chance and try to stop the Braves from scoring in the bottom of the fifth.
- Liz Roscher
Mets have something cooking in the 5th inning
Schwellenbach allowed Pete Alonso, the leadoff man, to get aboard in the 5th inning. J.D. Martinez singled, and they both advanced on a groundout.
Now with two outs, can the Mets get at least one of those guys home before the inning ends?